1. Field of the Invention
The present inventions relate to submarine periscopes, particularly those that do not penetrate the submarine hull, but may also be usable with periscopes that do penetrate the submarine hull.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional periscopes enable a submarine to remain in contact with the above-water environment either visually or by use of electronic sensors. Typical capabilities include imaging (visual and/or other wavelength bands), RF/microwave communications, microwave radar, RF/microwave intercept, GPS, etc. The periscope may penetrate the hull of the submarine, or it may be a non-penetrating design, in which case all sensors are electronic and signals (electrical and/or fiber optic) are relayed to and enter the hull through a specially designed, pressure-proof, hull interface connector. Periscopes are generally designed such that either the entire external pressure boundary rotates (as in a conventional periscope) or some portion of the exterior boundary rotates (optronic periscope) in order to direct the line of sight of its optical subsystems to a desired direction.
The requirement that the pressure vessel rotate imposes several requirements on the design of a periscope in general and an optronic periscope in particular. Principal among these are (a) the need to drive the comparatively high inertia and seal friction of the rotating subassembly with a sufficiently large torque motor, (b) a dynamic high pressure seal that prevents water intrusion into the joint between the rotating and non-rotating elements, and (c) multiple electrical and fiber optic commutation channels that permit efficient and continuous power and signal continuity between the rotating and stationary parts of the system. Moreover, situational awareness may be restricted because the optical line of sight must be physically scanned over the horizon, generally rendering it impossible to observe the entire 360 degree panorama at any given instant of time.
Therefore, the invention disclosed herein provides the following advantages and improvements over current periscope technology:
(a) The elimination of a hydraulic high pressure dynamic seal for higher system reliability and longer life;
(b) A reduction in size, weight and power of mechanisms, hardware and associated electronics required to direct the line of sight. This provides a concurrent improvement in response time for directing the line of sight and an overall improvement in reliability;
(c) the removal of electrical commutation devices that are potential points of failure and that limit the number and type of sensors that can be deployed on a periscope; and
(d) improved situational awareness achieved through multi-spectral panoramic imaging in which displayed images are stabilized digitally without moving parts for high reliability.